Kevin Rayner

Kevin Rayner was born on the West Coast of Tasmania in 1942 .His forebears were pioneers in the district where they were involved in the harvesting of minor species timber including Huon Pine. Like many they were extremely resourcefull people who were able to make fix repair and succeed in in what they did with a minimum of equipment and funds. These qualities are evident in what Kevin does. As a child he had plenty of timber and access to tools where he fashioned boats billycarts toys and simple furniture Kevin was educated at the University of Tasmania and commenced a career in teaching in 1963. He was initially involved in Manual Arts teaching but was soon promoted into school leadership.

After recovery from heart surgery he expanded his interest in woodturning and began producing very high quality work in saleable quantities. The timbers used are Huon Pine Blackheart Sassafras Myrtle and Blackwood. Selected pieces of his work are displayed at the best galleries in the country including Bungedore Wood Works Gallery. Initially Kevin purchased dry timber from country sawmillers but this did not provide timber of sufficiently high quality. To overcome this Kevin sourced specially selected logs straight from the bush. Once kevin selects a log he personally supervises the cutting of the log into slabs that best suit the grain clour and features of the timber for bowl turning. Kevin uses multiple coats of oil which are buffed between coats and then buffed after being allowed to harden for several days When asked about his work Kevin had this to say:- "I just love it. The fun starts crawling about in the log piles looking for that special log. Then in the milling seeing the beautifull slabs coming off the saw and envisioning the bowls that will come from them.

Then the green turning where all the lights and colours of the timber can be seen. The final turning and oiling gives such a sense of creation and satisfaction that you just want to do more. Of course there is more to it than that a piece needs three criteria to satisfy me.It needs form. Function and finish. It needs an appealing shape with aesthetically pleasing lines that sweep together with complimentary curves the item needs to be usefull in some way and it needs to be meticulously finished. While there maybe flaws or small defects in the timber the workmanship should be perfect. When all these things come together some pieces are so beautifull I just want to keep them all. I just love it."